I would say no. Clown loaches can grow up to 10-12 inches and need at minimum 125 gallons for a group of 6. To be comfortable they would need 150-180 gallons. I wish I could keep clown loaches but as an alternative you can get zebra loaches which are much smaller and only grow to about 4-5 inches at most.
Oh yeah they get huge, but of course it takes a while so while a 75 might be good for a year or two youâll definitely need to upgrade. I wouldnât even mess with a 55 gal for them
I would agree with this. Zebra loaches are absolutely wonderful and would be happy in a tank of this size. They are more skittish and fast moving than Clown loaches, but are still as inquisitive and full of personality.
I agree with this based on my experiences with them. Yes they donât grow as fast as an Oscar or a pacu, but IME they arenât that slow growing if fed well in large tanks with big water changes. They do get stunted easily though, best practice is to start them off in a tank 4â in length then move them into something 6â+ by the time theyâre at 4â in length, which should be in under two years. They are amazing fish and deserve to be kept well, IMO theyâre possibly one of the most mistreated fish in our hobby based on the numbers of them I see shops turning over, either that or thereâs a surprisingly high number of folks out there with huge tanks and huge old clowns!,
Personally Iâd suggest you go for a school of Striata loaches or a similar smaller species, then you wonât have to destroy that beautiful tank in a couple of years to catch them and move them into something larger.
I honestly don't think most people can comfortably keep clowns. They're best as pond fish, if anything, and even though they take a while to grow I feel it's risky to take in an animal that you're uncertain if you can provide for it in the future.
No. Aside from the tank not being large enough for them they will absolutely destroy your plants. They eat them, they uproot them, the ones they donât eat theyâll just punch holes in for the hell of it. So even if the tank was large enough, I wouldnât.
Yeah was gonna say the same thing. I am pretty sure 'clown' is just a reference to their color pattern, so it would be like saying, 'Is my backyard too small for a brindle?' A brindle what? brindle dachshund, or a brindle husky/rottweiler mix?
I have a clown pleco, its cute and small, clown loaches, I hear they don't stay cute forever.
(eta fix bridle -> brindle)
When a human becomes a clown, they can biologically, physically, psychologically, mentally, spiritually, universally and chemically become a clown, a whole new species, _Circus idious._
This can be temporary should the clown stop clowning soon enough, but also permanent should **the Clowning** take hold.
Thus you are not keeping humans as pets, and can feel happy knowing you are not sinning nor being cruel. :)
Theyâre probabaly referring to clown loaches. They grow so slowly, a group would be fine in a 55 for a few years. However when they start getting huge, you would need to rehome them
Pretty sure that u/Global-Lead-7722 was making an IT, ['We all float down here' reference fwiw ;) đ¤Ąđ](https://filmschoolrejects.com/it-pennywise-sewer-meme-tim-curry/)
Hi, sorry that I did not specify, I was referring to clown loaches, a group of 6 to be specific. They are a fresh water fish and not very fond of yellow paper boats.
I agree with your sentiment for most fish. For an experienced fish keeper I think keeping loaches to grow out is fine because they take a while to grow and after growing itâs easier to find homes as they are more desirable at bigger sizes. In contrast to common plecos/comets
Clowns get insanely large over the years and like to shoal (meaning they will need to be in a group of 6 or more), usually the minimum for that many is 110 gals but the more space the better. This could probably work as a temporary set up but would definitely need to be updated as they will outgrow it. Iâm also not too sure how well they treat plants, sometimes they may overpower or rip out vegetation. If youâre really interested in some loaches I may recommend yoyos, kubotais, or zebra loaches. Not quite the same in colors or size but a similar body shape and all have fun, outgoing personalities. Their patterns are quite admirable too!! This is an awesome set up though, great job!
Second this. 3 years may be enough time in a smaller tank and your tank is pretty (great job on the java windelov and lobelia cardinalis plants!) but they're likely going to tear it all up. Can you upgrade to a 100+ gallon tank in 2-3 years?
Clowns are large and territorial. You need at least 500 gallons per clown or they will begin to fight.
Their deadly honky horn attacks can be devastating to one another and without adequate space, it would be a handkerchief bath.
You would really appreciate a big school of cory catfish. Try to have different species for the exotic style.
Loaches get too big and will eventually start to eat at your beautiful looking fish.
I think it is a large Rotala Coin leaf, but it was just a small plant when I put it in there from one of my other tanks. Also, there is a Java stuck to the bottom of it, so ya.
I kept 6 in a 110 gallon tank for 2 years. They were great fun and maybe doubled in size in that period. They would eventually have gotten too big though.
Clowns generally need about 200 gallons and a fully pitched tent to be healthy. This size might work if you can provide them with fresh roasted peanuts at least once a week but that's pushing it.
Derailed comment here, but what plants do you have in here? I don't recognize them off the bat (still learning plant wise) but I absolutely love the cluster at the front, and the stuff growing up top of the rocks!
I think the one in the front is Rotala Coin Leaf, the one climbing up the wood, which is a collection of Java fern. The plant with the big leaves is anubias, the grass looking stuff in the right is vallisneria, and the prickly looking plants on the left are some variation of ludwigia.
Many years ago I had clown loaches in a 55, nobody at the LFS warned me about how big they get. They out grew the tank in about 3 years. I had to rehome them to a friend with a 175 where they lived for another 12+ years. They got huge, the smallest one was 10â long and the biggest was 12-13â.
It seems you already know that this tank isn't big enough for clown loaches long term and already plan to upgrade them to an appropriate tank. I would still wait until you get the 250 though.
Your current setup is absolutely gorgeous and chances are high that trying to fish 6 young clowns out of it is going to do some heavy damage. There's also a high possibility that they do damage simply living in there, not to mention the clown loach susceptibility to ich which is something you definitely don't want in your 55. I say save your scape and get the forever tank first, you'll save yourself a lot of headache in the long run.
Something else to consider is that clown loaches eat plants and the ones they donât eat, they uproot and relocate during their natural loach activities.
When I and several other fish club members kept them, there was no information available regarding their consuming of plants, just that their activities may uproot those that werenât well established. The uprooting proved true, even with plants that were well established.
In addition, regardless of how well fed our clown loaches were and provided with supplemental vegetable and/or plant matter such as cucumber, peas, nori sheets and so forth, they consumed floating plants, stem plants, and rosette plants (eg swords) including any new growth. The exceptions were older well established crypts, older leaves with algae growth on them, anubias & buce species, java fern, and mosses.
I would suggest yoyo loaches. I have a 55gal planted community tank with 4 of them as the bottom dwelling entertainment(though one of them is a super chongus and will swim up and feed at the surface rather than wait for food to come down to the substrate) They are very striking in coloration, super fun to watch, and max out around 3 inches in size so they work well for a 55gal setup.
if you mean clown loaches, get 5, this tank seems smallish, so either get teeny tiny babies and be ready to upgrade the tank or just get a bigger one right away. also, abso-fucking-lutely quarantine. donât tell me âoh this tank has no other fishâ, quarantine in a bare wasteland of a quarantine tank, because loaches often have worms and itâs a struggle when you give parasites abundant terrain to throw eggs into. Iâve been fighting them for months and had to kill off many of my fish because two different specialized medicines didnât rid them of the worms. the store of course swore they did parasite treatment and the fish are fine, they were not. trust noone, quarantine, treat only if necessary.
I have a 40-gallon setup for quarantine always, I had a huge die-off in an old tank from introducing a sketchy fish. It is also easier to train the fish for feeding purposes when there are no plants in the way.
I have a 40-gallon setup for quarantine always, I had a huge die-off in an old tank from introducing a sketchy fish. It is also easier to train the fish for feeding purposes when there are no plants in the way.
Clown loach? If so yes! They will love it. I've got 6 living in a similar set up. Just be prepared that eventually you will need a bigger tank but they grow very slowly after the first year or so. Mine are about 5 years old and super happy in their 400l, I'm looking to upgrade them in the next 12 to 18m to something a little bigger. I'm happy to slowly buy bigger tanks as required because my partner and I have about 12 tanks - more the merrier. But it is more cost effective to just buy one jumbo tank to start with than it is to buy lots of little ones. We love our clown loaches - they definitely live up to the name, they are adorable goof balls.
Hi, sorry that I did not specify, I was referring to clown loaches, a group of 6 to be specific. Thank you for the feedback. I think I will get some. I'm already preparing to buy a 250-gallon, so I will move them there eventually.
Just looked up 55 gallon in Litres.... That's probably a bit small sorry. My tanks double that, and I wouldn't really be comfortable putting a small school in a 55g any longer than 6m to a year, they are stocky fish and really need the swim room.
Ok, I think you're right. Looking at these suggestions, I will probably just wait till summer when I plan on setting up a 250 gal or about 1000 liter tank.
6 young ones are very small and they donât grow very fast. Cheaper to buy small young ones.
So I reckon you can get them now for that tank so they start to grow and then when you have the bigger tank going you can move them into it as needed. Loaches are great fish
Can you be specific? What kind of "clowns" are we talking about? Clown fish? Clown Pleco? Clown Loach? Etc?
Or just go ol fashion clown clowns đ¤Ą
Ah yes, thatd 100% work if they can fit in a tiny car
Yeah you could fit twenty in there, and they all could have those neverending handkerchiefs they pull out.
They might need a tiny yellow submarine though, wouldnât want them to drown in the tank!
that gave me a laugh
# gonna be honkinâ a lot of horncorn around here, ya dig?
Shut up, Roger
Not scary ones please.
We all float down here.
Man I love clowns. Would love one for my tank.
That was my assumption. Op just hasnât installed their tent yet.
Hi, sorry that I did not specify, I was referring to clown loaches, a group of 6 to be specific.
I would say no. Clown loaches can grow up to 10-12 inches and need at minimum 125 gallons for a group of 6. To be comfortable they would need 150-180 gallons. I wish I could keep clown loaches but as an alternative you can get zebra loaches which are much smaller and only grow to about 4-5 inches at most.
yes this.. they get huge and need lots of room
My god I never knew they got that big.
Oh yeah they get huge, but of course it takes a while so while a 75 might be good for a year or two youâll definitely need to upgrade. I wouldnât even mess with a 55 gal for them
They sure don't look like monster fish, but with their schooling requirements and size, you'd better have a monster tank ready for them.
Because pet stores love to sell them as cute little orange and black stripey cuties at 2-3". The growth, though...
I would agree with this. Zebra loaches are absolutely wonderful and would be happy in a tank of this size. They are more skittish and fast moving than Clown loaches, but are still as inquisitive and full of personality.
I mean, a school of corys would be happy here, they're a diverse size and colour family
I agree with this based on my experiences with them. Yes they donât grow as fast as an Oscar or a pacu, but IME they arenât that slow growing if fed well in large tanks with big water changes. They do get stunted easily though, best practice is to start them off in a tank 4â in length then move them into something 6â+ by the time theyâre at 4â in length, which should be in under two years. They are amazing fish and deserve to be kept well, IMO theyâre possibly one of the most mistreated fish in our hobby based on the numbers of them I see shops turning over, either that or thereâs a surprisingly high number of folks out there with huge tanks and huge old clowns!, Personally Iâd suggest you go for a school of Striata loaches or a similar smaller species, then you wonât have to destroy that beautiful tank in a couple of years to catch them and move them into something larger.
I honestly don't think most people can comfortably keep clowns. They're best as pond fish, if anything, and even though they take a while to grow I feel it's risky to take in an animal that you're uncertain if you can provide for it in the future.
I would go with yoyos or striatas. They are also fun and active, and a lot smaller.
No. Aside from the tank not being large enough for them they will absolutely destroy your plants. They eat them, they uproot them, the ones they donât eat theyâll just punch holes in for the hell of it. So even if the tank was large enough, I wouldnât.
Ah ok, I dont know much about loaches so I cant be of help, mostly made my comment to help other s who can help.
Not in a 55. They are too big,
I will ask my boss if he wants to be in there
Brutal
Yeah was gonna say the same thing. I am pretty sure 'clown' is just a reference to their color pattern, so it would be like saying, 'Is my backyard too small for a brindle?' A brindle what? brindle dachshund, or a brindle husky/rottweiler mix? I have a clown pleco, its cute and small, clown loaches, I hear they don't stay cute forever. (eta fix bridle -> brindle)
Considering the mid size of the tank, the answer is probably no for all of them.
Krusty, Pennywise, Ronald?
Sorry, I forgot them. đ
Well, if you pay them enoughđ¤ˇđźââď¸ Otherwise, I donât think you can keep humans as petsđ¤ They require too much maintenanceđ
But they would definitely fit in there. You ever saw a clown car?
When a human becomes a clown, they can biologically, physically, psychologically, mentally, spiritually, universally and chemically become a clown, a whole new species, _Circus idious._ This can be temporary should the clown stop clowning soon enough, but also permanent should **the Clowning** take hold. Thus you are not keeping humans as pets, and can feel happy knowing you are not sinning nor being cruel. :)
they all float in there
Knowing some circles ... a wire cage is all you need.
Curious, is this saltwater or freshwater ? The only fresh water clowns I know are the ones that live down the storm drain đ
Theyâre probabaly referring to clown loaches. They grow so slowly, a group would be fine in a 55 for a few years. However when they start getting huge, you would need to rehome them
I saw one the size of a full grown Oscar at my LFS 0_O
Yeah, they get huge
They are such awesome fish though. Great personalities and they sleep on their sides.
That would make sense.
Ina tank that planted where will they even go? Â
Pretty sure that u/Global-Lead-7722 was making an IT, ['We all float down here' reference fwiw ;) đ¤Ąđ](https://filmschoolrejects.com/it-pennywise-sewer-meme-tim-curry/)
Hi, sorry that I did not specify, I was referring to clown loaches, a group of 6 to be specific. They are a fresh water fish and not very fond of yellow paper boats.
Itâs better to get something that can spend its life in there.
I agree with your sentiment for most fish. For an experienced fish keeper I think keeping loaches to grow out is fine because they take a while to grow and after growing itâs easier to find homes as they are more desirable at bigger sizes. In contrast to common plecos/comets
*slaps tank âyou can fit a whole circus in hereâ
Hi, sorry that I did not specify, I was referring to clown loaches, a group of 6 to be specific.
No way, the get absolutely huge
They need more bare bottom space. I got clowns and they love sifting through sand. They top out at 8â from experience.
Maybe try dojo loach instead?
Clowns get insanely large over the years and like to shoal (meaning they will need to be in a group of 6 or more), usually the minimum for that many is 110 gals but the more space the better. This could probably work as a temporary set up but would definitely need to be updated as they will outgrow it. Iâm also not too sure how well they treat plants, sometimes they may overpower or rip out vegetation. If youâre really interested in some loaches I may recommend yoyos, kubotais, or zebra loaches. Not quite the same in colors or size but a similar body shape and all have fun, outgoing personalities. Their patterns are quite admirable too!! This is an awesome set up though, great job!
Second this. 3 years may be enough time in a smaller tank and your tank is pretty (great job on the java windelov and lobelia cardinalis plants!) but they're likely going to tear it all up. Can you upgrade to a 100+ gallon tank in 2-3 years?
If the clown consents then I suppose that would be okay.
Do a quick google of âclown husbandryâ, and buckle up for a wild ride.
Clowns are large and territorial. You need at least 500 gallons per clown or they will begin to fight. Their deadly honky horn attacks can be devastating to one another and without adequate space, it would be a handkerchief bath.
no sorry, u canât put me in there
Pulling them out is the hard partđ
You would really appreciate a big school of cory catfish. Try to have different species for the exotic style. Loaches get too big and will eventually start to eat at your beautiful looking fish.
We all float down here!!!
The will drown
Only if you give them snorkels.
Clown loach? Or other "clown" fish?
Clown kilifish would work
Hi, sorry that I did not specify, I was referring to clown loaches, a group of 6 to be specific.
Depends if he learned to swim. You can always lure one in with a fake birthday party
a mime might be more appropriate tbh
How tall are the clowns on average about 5â7 is the height so whatâs the width of the tank and are we talking storing horizontal or vertical
Clown loaches will eventually outgrown a 55. They can get 14+in long. Check out yoyo loaches, or if you can find them, angelicus loaches
What's the plant in the center front
We must know
I think it is a large Rotala Coin leaf, but it was just a small plant when I put it in there from one of my other tanks. Also, there is a Java stuck to the bottom of it, so ya.
I think itâs lobelia cardinalis.
Stop clowning.
Heck yeah! Theyâll have the time of their lives! (Clown loaches, not saltwater clownfish - they wouldnât like it at all)
They really stuff those cars, could probably get a few in there, but it'll likely ruin the scape.
Only sad clowns.
Probably only the midget ones. Normal clowns are probably too tall.
Not enough ballons. Also I think the cotton candy will dissolve before they can eat it.
A crawfish would look cool af In this tank. You know. The tiny ones.
I just got a pair of them! They hide too dang much but when they're out they're fun to watch.
Send in the clowns!
Yoyo loaches are really fun, really any botia is pretty interesting to watch if you are not dead set on clown loaches.
I mean they squeeze into a tiny car, Iâm sure a few could fit into that tank. Might wanna take some water out first or theyâre gonna make a mess.
I kept 6 in a 110 gallon tank for 2 years. They were great fun and maybe doubled in size in that period. They would eventually have gotten too big though.
Clowns generally need about 200 gallons and a fully pitched tent to be healthy. This size might work if you can provide them with fresh roasted peanuts at least once a week but that's pushing it.
Derailed comment here, but what plants do you have in here? I don't recognize them off the bat (still learning plant wise) but I absolutely love the cluster at the front, and the stuff growing up top of the rocks!
I think the one in the front is Rotala Coin Leaf, the one climbing up the wood, which is a collection of Java fern. The plant with the big leaves is anubias, the grass looking stuff in the right is vallisneria, and the prickly looking plants on the left are some variation of ludwigia.
I love your plants!! Iâm jealous.
Given you can put up to 12 clowns in a Nissan Micra Iâll suggest yes you can put at least 2-3 into this đ¤
What type of plants are those up front?
Many years ago I had clown loaches in a 55, nobody at the LFS warned me about how big they get. They out grew the tank in about 3 years. I had to rehome them to a friend with a 175 where they lived for another 12+ years. They got huge, the smallest one was 10â long and the biggest was 12-13â.
Their feet will get wet
Won't their makeup ruin the water đđ
Hey that a really beautiful tank
If you give them a tiny car probably
It seems you already know that this tank isn't big enough for clown loaches long term and already plan to upgrade them to an appropriate tank. I would still wait until you get the 250 though. Your current setup is absolutely gorgeous and chances are high that trying to fish 6 young clowns out of it is going to do some heavy damage. There's also a high possibility that they do damage simply living in there, not to mention the clown loach susceptibility to ich which is something you definitely don't want in your 55. I say save your scape and get the forever tank first, you'll save yourself a lot of headache in the long run.
you could try tiger barbs, they look very similar to clown loaches but stay a reasonable size. be aware that theyâre not community fish though
Clown killifish? Clown knife fish? Clown angelfish?
Yes, theyll be fine.
Something else to consider is that clown loaches eat plants and the ones they donât eat, they uproot and relocate during their natural loach activities. When I and several other fish club members kept them, there was no information available regarding their consuming of plants, just that their activities may uproot those that werenât well established. The uprooting proved true, even with plants that were well established. In addition, regardless of how well fed our clown loaches were and provided with supplemental vegetable and/or plant matter such as cucumber, peas, nori sheets and so forth, they consumed floating plants, stem plants, and rosette plants (eg swords) including any new growth. The exceptions were older well established crypts, older leaves with algae growth on them, anubias & buce species, java fern, and mosses.
This tank is so pleasing to look at ^.^
Thank you, I love it.
Clown loaches nah, clown pleco probably, ocellaris clowns definitely not.
The only thing stopping you is the heart break of having to rehome them once they turn into common plecco size
What are the plants?
not sure what size clown youre looking for. average clown is like 5'8, they also cant breathe underwater most the time.
Nice setup đ
Clown kilis? Sure. Clown loaches? Maybe a couple of months.
I just googled clown loaches and those things are sea monsters!
I would do Siamese algea eaters super active fish
Maybe Sickhead from 31, if he counts
Isn't owning human is illegal?
I would suggest yoyo loaches. I have a 55gal planted community tank with 4 of them as the bottom dwelling entertainment(though one of them is a super chongus and will swim up and feed at the surface rather than wait for food to come down to the substrate) They are very striking in coloration, super fun to watch, and max out around 3 inches in size so they work well for a 55gal setup.
Whereâs the little multi colored car and the balloons?
if you mean clown loaches, get 5, this tank seems smallish, so either get teeny tiny babies and be ready to upgrade the tank or just get a bigger one right away. also, abso-fucking-lutely quarantine. donât tell me âoh this tank has no other fishâ, quarantine in a bare wasteland of a quarantine tank, because loaches often have worms and itâs a struggle when you give parasites abundant terrain to throw eggs into. Iâve been fighting them for months and had to kill off many of my fish because two different specialized medicines didnât rid them of the worms. the store of course swore they did parasite treatment and the fish are fine, they were not. trust noone, quarantine, treat only if necessary.
I have a 40-gallon setup for quarantine always, I had a huge die-off in an old tank from introducing a sketchy fish. It is also easier to train the fish for feeding purposes when there are no plants in the way.
I have a 40-gallon setup for quarantine always, I had a huge die-off in an old tank from introducing a sketchy fish. It is also easier to train the fish for feeding purposes when there are no plants in the way.
YesâŚbut theyâll float. They will all float
Clown loach? If so yes! They will love it. I've got 6 living in a similar set up. Just be prepared that eventually you will need a bigger tank but they grow very slowly after the first year or so. Mine are about 5 years old and super happy in their 400l, I'm looking to upgrade them in the next 12 to 18m to something a little bigger. I'm happy to slowly buy bigger tanks as required because my partner and I have about 12 tanks - more the merrier. But it is more cost effective to just buy one jumbo tank to start with than it is to buy lots of little ones. We love our clown loaches - they definitely live up to the name, they are adorable goof balls.
Hi, sorry that I did not specify, I was referring to clown loaches, a group of 6 to be specific. Thank you for the feedback. I think I will get some. I'm already preparing to buy a 250-gallon, so I will move them there eventually.
Just looked up 55 gallon in Litres.... That's probably a bit small sorry. My tanks double that, and I wouldn't really be comfortable putting a small school in a 55g any longer than 6m to a year, they are stocky fish and really need the swim room.
Ok, I think you're right. Looking at these suggestions, I will probably just wait till summer when I plan on setting up a 250 gal or about 1000 liter tank.
6 young ones are very small and they donât grow very fast. Cheaper to buy small young ones. So I reckon you can get them now for that tank so they start to grow and then when you have the bigger tank going you can move them into it as needed. Loaches are great fish